The Mankey's Paw
by Metal Mewtwo
Summary: Based on the classic story of The Monkey's Paw. Misty buys an old artifact, called a Mankey's Paw, from a strange, old lady which can grant her three wishes. So what will she wish for? AAML


This is a story I wrote a long time ago, was lost, and now I've pretty much recalled most of it from memory and updated it slightly. I have no idea where it takes place in the timeline, though for argument's sake I'll say somewhere in Johto. So here you go, I hope you enjoy.  
  
(Insert standard Pokémon disclaimers here)  
  
"The Mankey's Paw"  
  
Narrator: Searching for food, rest, and a Pokémon Center, our weary heroes find themselves stumbling into a new town where their next adventure is about to begin.  
  
"Finally," Ash said as he walked through the front gate of this new town. Carrying a tired Pikachu in his arms and followed closely behind by his two travelling companions, Brock and Misty, he had only one thing on his mind: finding the nearest Pokémon Center to give himself and his Pokémon a nice rest. Plus, he was really, really hungry, as was evident by the rumbling in his stomach.  
  
"Which way is the Pokémon Center?" he asked his trusted friend Brock.  
  
"The sign, Ash," Brock said, pointing to a sign that was posted just up ahead. It clearly pointed in the direction in which they would have to travel to get to the Pokémon Center.  
  
"Oh," Ash said, sighing at his obvious oversight.  
  
"You go on ahead," Brock said. "I'm going to find a Pokémon Mart to refill on supplies."  
  
"Sounds good. What about you Misty?"  
  
"Oh, who me?" Misty asked, snapping out of a daydream she had just found herself lost in.  
  
"Yeah, you," Ash said. "You want to come to the Pokémon Center with me?"  
  
"No thanks, Ash," she said. "I think I'm going to do some sightseeing, maybe a little shopping."  
  
"Then it's settled," said Ash. "We meet back here in an hour."  
  
Brock and Misty nodded their heads in agreement and each set out on their own path through town in search of their destinations.  
  
*****  
  
"For a small town they've got some pretty nice stores," Misty said as she walked along the town's busiest street, gazing in windows as she went. Whenever she saw something that caught her eye, she would dash into the store to get a closer look, though she restrained herself from buying anything due to her lack of immediate funds. As she exited the latest store she had entered, she noticed the Togepi she held in her arms was starting to grow a little tired.  
  
"I bet you want a nice nap, huh Togepi?" she asked her Pokémon. Togepi let out a little try of "Toge" before closing its eyes and retreating into its eggshell to sleep. Misty smiled and opened her small red knapsack, tucking the small Togepi into it for a nice, long rest. Looking back up, she noticed there was a store she hadn't checked out yet a little ways off. It was detached from all the other stores, hidden slightly between several large oak trees. As Misty walked towards the store to get a closer look, she noticed the building was an older-looking wooden structure that had a sign of "Rare and Interesting Antiques" over top of the doorway. Though it gave her a bit of a creeping feeling, Misty decided to check it out anyway, as she did like antiques.  
  
Reaching the entranceway of the store, she walked right on into the building, as no door appeared to be present to stop her. Inside, the store wasn't very well lit with most of the light coming from the doorway. She walked up to the main counter but saw no one attending it. Misty wondered if the store was even open.  
  
"Hello?" she called to the back of the store, her voice echoing in the darkness of the old building.  
  
"Hang on, I'm coming," a voice answered back. Misty watched as an elderly woman made her way from the back of the store to the counter. The old woman smiled as she saw Misty's face.  
  
"Ah, what a lovely young woman," she said. "I don't get many people your age who appreciate fine antiques."  
  
"Well I am one-of-a-kind," Misty said with a smile. "So what kind of antiques do you have?"  
  
"Mostly old relics that have some kind of story or superstition attached to them," the woman said, a devious smile growing across her face. "However, I can tell you came her for one specific item."  
  
"I did?" Misty said, a little confused. She knew she hadn't come looking for anything in particular and wondered what the old lady was getting at.  
  
"I can tell you're the kind of person who likes to dream," the old woman continued. "I can sense things about people. It's my nature, you see. I can see you're the type who likes to wish for great things to happen to her but are stuck living a reality that might not grant your wishes true."  
  
"I do feel like that sometimes," Misty admitted, growing more intrigued by the second. She really wondered now how this woman knew the feelings inside her.  
  
"This is the item for you," the woman said, taking out something from the counter she was leaning on. She produced the item before Misty, placing it in the incoming sunlight so she could get a good look at it. Misty was instantly appalled by the item as she noticed it was the severed hand of a Mankey.  
  
"Oh gross!" she screamed, starting to shake at the disgusting sight.  
  
"It's not that bad," said the old lady.  
  
"What is that thing?" Misty asked, half-covering her eyes with her hands.  
  
"This is a Mankey's Paw. This magical little item grants its owner three wishes, one for each finger on it."  
  
"Wishes? Are you serious?"  
  
"Indeed, miss. With this artifact, you can have anything in the world you want. Oh, for a price, of course."  
  
The old lady showed Misty the price tag on the paw, and any interest that had been growing inside of Misty was instantly shot down.  
  
"I can't afford that!" she said.  
  
"Fine, fine, I'll cut you a deal," the old woman said. "It's not like you can't wish for eternal wealth, you know."  
  
The woman slashed down the price on the paw's price tag and showed it to Misty. Though the sight of a severed Pokémon's hand did creep her out a bit, she agreed to buy it. Misty felt having the ability to wish for anything more than made up for the gross-out factor. Of course, she didn't know whether or not this thing even worked, though if it didn't, she figured she'd just sell it to some other poor sap. She forked over her cash and the old woman handed her the paw. Misty held the item away from her body as much as possible, not wanting to bring it any closer. She thanked the woman half-heartedly and turned to leave the store.  
  
"Oh, one more thing," the woman said before Misty could leave. "I should warn you that grave misfortune could follow every wish you make. Be careful what you wish for, my dear."  
  
"I'm sure," Misty said, pretty much choosing not to heed her warning. "The only misfortune would be that this thing doesn't work at all."  
  
With that, Misty exited the store and headed back out to the street. Looking up at the town's giant clock tower that rose above all the to other building's, she noticed she still had another 10 minutes or so before she had to meet up again with Ash and Brock. Looking at the paw, she figured now was as good a time as any to test it out.  
  
"Let's see if this thing is worth the money I paid for it," she said. "Now, what should I wish for?"  
  
Countless things began to run through her mind as she considered what to use her first wish on. Money, fame, all the Water Pokémon in the world.she just couldn't choose. So many things, and only three wishes. She knew she better not waste them and should make her first wish a good one. Finally, one thing did come to her mind. A big smile came over her face when she thought of it.  
  
"This could be perfect!" she said with delight. "I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to do it by myself, so if this Mankey's Paw is the real deal.."  
  
She stopped herself mid-sentence and decided to just get it over with. She held the paw out with both of her hands and closed her eyes, preparing to make her first wish. Unknown to Misty, however, three familiar sets of eyes were watching her closely from the nearby bushes.  
  
"What is she doing with that severed hand?" Jessie asked her Team Rocket partners James and Meowth.  
  
"I dunno," Meowth said, who was just as confused about what was going on as Jessie was.  
  
"Do you think she could be some kind of witch?" James asked.  
  
"Nah, I doubt it," Meowth said. "She's still got a long way ta go before she catches up wit Jessie."  
  
"Hey!" Jessie shouted, whipping out her infamous paper fan and savagely thrashing Meowth with it.  
  
"Keep it down," James whispered. "She'll her us!"  
  
Misty continued to hold out the paw, wondering whether or not she should go through with this. Curiosity eventually got the best of her, and she decided to for it. She opened her eyes and focussed them on the Mankey's Paw.  
  
"I wish.," she started. "I wish that Ash was in love with me!"  
  
Misty watched as the first finger on the paw slowly curled itself down in the palm of the paw. Misty closed her eyes and held out her arms, expecting Ash to suddenly appear out of nowhere and into her embrace. She opened her eyes after several seconds of nothing happening. She looked around, but she didn't see Ash anywhere. Disappointment was the first thing that ran through her mind.  
  
"Stupid thing!" she shouted, wanting badly to slam the paw straight into the ground. "I knew it wouldn't work."  
  
She sighed and looked up at the clock tower again, noticing she had better get moving if she was going to meet up with her friends again. She slipped the paw into her pocket, her mind too focussed on being late than being disgusted. She took off running down the street to locate her friends and head off to the next town with them.  
  
"That was certainly weird," Jessie said as she and her fellow Rockets rose up out of their hidden space after Misty was out of sight.  
  
"Come on, let's follow her!" Meowth suggested. The three leaped out of the bushes and proceeded to follow the path that Misty had taken.  
  
*****  
  
Misty dashed up the hill to the town's entrance, where she was supposed to meet up with Ash and Brock. As she approached the meeting place, she could she Ash was already there, impatiently tapping his foot as he saw her make her way over to him. Misty came to a screeching halt when she reached Ash, stopping to catch her breath and apologize for being late. It was embarrassing enough have Ash waiting on her for a change. Usually she and Brock were the ones waiting for Ash, who was more than prone to being late.  
  
"There you are," Ash said.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry," Misty apologized. "I was doing some shopping and lost track of time."  
  
"Well I'm just glad that you're here now," said Ash.  
  
"You are?" Misty wondered.  
  
"Of course. You know I hate being separated from you."  
  
Ash leaned forward and gave Misty a kiss on the cheek. Misty, shocked by what Ash had just done, instinctively shoved him to the ground.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?!" Misty fumed.  
  
"I was just giving my girlfriend a kiss," Ash said, climbing back to his feet and dusting the dirt off his clothes. "What's gotten into you?"  
  
"Your.girlfriend?" Misty asked before coming to a revelation. She suddenly remembered the Mankey's Paw that was stashed away in her pocket. She froze with the realization of what was transpiring before her very eyes.  
  
"Could it be?" she thought to herself. "Did it actually work?"  
  
"Uh, yeah," Ash said, still a bit puzzled by Misty's sudden outburst. "That's you, remember? Or is Psyduck starting to rub off on you?"  
  
"Um, oh yeah," Misty said, forcing an uneasy smile to her face. She knew it had to be the explanation for all of this. The wish had come true. The paw really did work.  
  
"So do you want to go see a movie?" Ash asked.  
  
"A movie?" Misty wondered. She looked around and finally came to the realization that the two were alone, and Brock was still not back yet. "Aren't we supposed to wait for Brock so we can head to the next town?"  
  
"He said he had some other things to do while we were here," Ash explained. "Plus, it'll be a couple hours until my Pokémon are ready."  
  
"Oh, okay," Misty said. This was all so new to her, but she knew it would just take time to get used to. It was, after all, what she had always wanted for almost all the time she had known Ash. She smiled as Ash took her hand and they walked together to find the local theater.  
  
"Did you see dat?" Meowth asked, as Team Rocket had witnessed the entire event unfold right before them from their hiding spot.  
  
"I did, but I'm not sure that I believe it," James said.  
  
"Don't you see what this mean?" Jessie asked them.  
  
"Yeah," James said. "We still have time to catch the matinee too."  
  
"No, you idiot," Jessie said, conking her partner in crime on the head. "It means that severed paw she bought has the power to grant wishes. You heard what she said, and you saw what happened. It must be true."  
  
"You're right," Meowth said, coming to that same realization as well. "Of course, you know dis also means we gotta swipe it."  
  
"But of course," Jessie said wickedly.  
  
"But I wanted to go see Poké Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Dittos!" James whined.  
  
*****  
  
"So did you like you the movie?" Ash asked as he helped escort Misty out of the theater after the movie was over.  
  
"It was alright," she said, trying to be polite. She didn't really enjoy the movie at all, but she could tell Ash did.  
  
"So what do you want to do now?" Ash inquired.  
  
"I think we better go meet up with Brock now," Misty said. "It is starting to get late."  
  
"I'd rather spend time alone with you," Ash said. "Come on, let's go do something."  
  
"But what about Brock?" Misty asked. "I'm sure he's getting worried."  
  
"Forget about Brock, he'll be fine. Unless, you don't want to spend time with me. That's it, isn't it?"  
  
"What are you talking about Ash?"  
  
"Oh, I get it now. You want to go see Brock because you're in love with him, aren't you?"  
  
"What? That's ridiculous, Ash. You're the one I want to be with."  
  
"Yeah right. I see it all now. If that's the way you want it, then fine."  
  
"What are you saying Ash?"  
  
"I'm saying it's over. I don't even know why I wanted to be with you in the first place. In fact, I wish I had never met you. You've been nothing but a pain in my side for years. Goodbye, Misty."  
  
Misty was too stunned to even reply as Ash tossed her hand aside and started to walk away into the distance. She could only helplessly watch as he kept on walking, not turning around even once. She didn't know what to say. A few seconds later he disappeared from sight. He had walked out of Misty's life forever, and she had no idea why. Then it hit her.the paw. She took the severed Mankey hand out of her pocked and held it up before her. The words of the elderly lady sold it to her rung fresh in her mind.  
  
"She was right," Misty said, falling to her knees, tears starting to fall from her eyes. "I didn't want to listen, but it's true. This stupid thing does bring misfortune. I threw away everything I had for a couple hours of paradise."  
  
Now starting to fill up with anger and rage, Misty rose to her feet, clenching the paw in her right hand.  
  
"I never should have bought this stupid thing!" she shouted, slamming the evil device to the ground. She began to hyperventilate as mixed feelings coursed through her as she came to the realization that her life, as she knew it, was now forever changed.  
  
"Wait a second," she said, coming to a sudden realization. "I'll just wish everything back to normal! Even if there is some misfortune, it can't be worse than this."  
  
Misty walked over to where the paw lay on the ground and prepared to pick it up when a streak of white flew by and snatched it first. She looked to her right and saw Meowth now in possession of the Mankey's Paw, with Jessie and James standing behind the feline Pokémon.  
  
"Finders, keepers," Jessie laughed, taking the paw away from Meowth and holding it delightfully in her hand.  
  
"Yeah, ya snooze ya lose," Meowth said gleefully.  
  
"No, don't!" Misty pleaded. "Those wishes only bring--"  
  
"Quiet," Jessie ordered, not allowing Misty to finish her sentence. "Now, what should we wish for?"  
  
"Oh, I know!" James piped up. "Why don't we wish to go back in time two hours to see the movie?"  
  
"Silence Jimmy, or I'll have ta hurt ya," Meowth said.  
  
"I know!" Jessie said, turning to James and Meowth and whispering something into their ears.  
  
"Good idea!" Meowth said.  
  
"I'd still rather see the movie," said James. "But, I guess it'll do."  
  
James and Meowth each grabbed hold of the Mankey's Paw along with Jessie and they all held it forward.  
  
"We wish we were the head of Team Rocket!" they shouted. The second finger on the paw began to move downwards, signaling the wish was about to be granted.  
  
"I've got to stop them!" Misty shouted, making a dive for the paw. She grabbed a piece of it and Jessie tried to tug it away from her to no use. Before they could do anything further, the four of them began to float in the air, their surroundings starting to be replaced by a bright white light. Then, in a flash, the four of them were gone.  
  
*****  
  
Misty slowly opened her eyes. She had no idea what had just happened to her. Her head felt like it was spinning and she put her hands on it to try and stop the nauseous feeling. When she finally stopped to take a good look around her, she realized she didn't have a clue where she was. She could tell that she was in some sort of room. It looked more like an office, as there was a large desk in front of her, with a chair behind it spun backwards. She stopped focussing on the room and stood up, trying to remember just what had happened.  
  
"Okay," Misty said, trying to get a grip on her situation. "The last thing I remember was that bright flash of light. Oh that's right, the paw. I was trying to stop them from making a wish. Hey, wait a second. Where is Team Rocket?"  
  
"We're right here," a voice said from behind the desk. Misty watched as the chair spun around to reveal the person who was sitting in it: Jessie. She sat there in a dark red suit, her Team Rocket uniform gone. Her hair was down, no longer held up in the air by what Misty guessed was massive amounts of starch. Jessie slowly petted Meowth, who was sitting comfortably in her lap.  
  
"Ah, finally," Meowth said. "I'm da top cat."  
  
"Jessie, is that you?" Misty asked.  
  
"That's Boss Jessie to you," she said. "Behold the new leader of Team Rocket!"  
  
"Hey, what about me?" James asked as he climbed up from behind the desk. "I get to be the Boss too!"  
  
"Be quiet!" Jessie snapped, shoving him back down out of sight. "Eh hem, now where was I? Oh yeah, that's right. I, Jessie the magnificent, now lead the more glorious organization on planet, Team Rocket. And it's all because of this lovely item."  
  
She smiled as held the Mankey's Paw high above her head and began to laugh maniacally. Misty stared long and hard at the paw. She knew if she was ever going to get things back to normal, she was going to have to get it back. However, she'd have to wait for the right moment.  
  
"It seems I still have one more wish left," Jessie said, examining the paw, which still had its final finger raised. "What should I wish for?"  
  
Jessie train of thought was interrupted by a knock at her office door.  
  
"James, go answer that!" she said, obviously agitated. James sulked to the door and opened it to see who was there. After a few moments of consulting with the person there, he turned around to speak with Jessie.  
  
"Uh, Jessie, did you have a meet scheduled today?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know, I just became the Boss!" she said, wanting to get back to her evil plotting. "Whoever it is, tell them to go away."  
  
"Well, an entire legion of Rockets are outside your door and they say they want to start a mutiny, whatever that means."  
  
James stepped away from the door and Jessie could see out into the hallway, which was filled from side to side with low-level members of Team Rocket.  
  
"What?!" Jessie exclaimed. "How dare they!"  
  
"I knew something like this would happen," Misty said.  
  
"What do you mean, kid?" Jessie asked.  
  
"You should have let me tell you earlier!" Misty shouted. "The Mankey's Paw causes extreme misfortune with its wishes. Obviously, when you wished to became head of Team Rocket, your misfortune was to have the entire team revolt against you."  
  
"Those fools," Jessie laughed, holding the paw before her. "With this, I'll never have any problems ever again. I'll soon teach them a lesson."  
  
"Not if I can help it," Misty thought to herself. In an instant, she made one quick dive for the paw, snatching it from Jessie's outstretched hand. Misty tumbled hard to the floor but still managed to keep the paw in her possesion.  
  
"Got it," she said.  
  
"Hey, give that back!" Jessie shouted at her. Misty quickly got up and scrambled to over side of the office, away from Jessie. Holding the paw out, she knew what she had to do.  
  
"I just hope no misfortune goes along with this one," Misty said. "I wish for everything to go back to normal, as if I had never found this stupid paw!"  
  
"No!" Jessie shouted, but she was too late to stop the wish from happening. The room began to fill up with the bright light again. Misty began to rise up into air, holding onto the paw tightly.  
  
"Please be there when I get back, Ash," she thought. "I'm sorry."  
  
With that, Misty could feel everything around her go from light to dark, and in a flash, she was gone.  
  
*****  
  
Misty awoke to the sunlight of the late afternoon sky. She got to her feet, trying to get a sense of where she was now. In front of her was a sign pointing in the direction of the nearest Pokémon Center. She finally realized she was back at the entrance of the town she had been at. However, she saw no sign of Ash or Brock. She sighed when the thought that the wish didn't work crossed her mind. Then to noticed the paw was no longer in her hand. It was completely gone.  
  
"Maybe it did work," she said.  
  
Before another thought could even enter her mind, she heard the shouts of Ash and Brock. She looked up ahead to see them both running towards her.  
  
"Sorry we're late!" Ash apologized.  
  
"Yeah, we completely lost track of time," Brock said.  
  
"You mean you lost track of time after we ran into that Officer Jenny," Ash said, nudging Brock in the side.  
  
"Uh, oh yeah," Brock laughed.  
  
"Ash, I'm so glad to see you!" Misty cried as she dashed towards him, giving her friend a huge hug. She held on tightly, not wanting to ever let go.  
  
"Uh, are you alright, Misty?" Ash asked, more than a little confused at the surprise hug she had just given him. He couldn't remember Misty ever hugging him before.  
  
"I'm fine," she said, wiping away a tear from her eye. "I'm just so glad you're back."  
  
"I was just at the Pokémon Center," the still confused Ash said. "You sure you're okay?"  
  
Misty suddenly realized Ash had no memory of anything that had happened. She remembered her wish, that everything would be like it was before she had found the paw. Now feeling a little embarrassed, she let go of Ash, laughing a bit of a nervous laugh.  
  
"It's okay, Ash," she said. "I, uh, just got worried when you didn't show up on time. That's all."  
  
"Well, I'm here," Ash said. "So are we all ready to head off?"  
  
"I've never been more ready," Misty said, smiling. As much as she wished sometimes that Ash were more than a friend to her, she was just relived to have him back in her life. She knew that what she wanted couldn't be attained with a wish. She'd have to work over time on that. But for now, having him as her friend was all that was important to her. Misty continued to smile as the three left through the town's gates and off towards their next adventure.  
  
*****  
  
"Whoa, what happened?" Meowth asked.  
  
"I have no idea," Jessie asked as she looked around the room she found herself in. Neither of them had any idea how they got here. Continuing to scan the room, James realized just where they were now.  
  
"Hey, isn't this.."  
  
James was interrupted mid-sentence by the sound of someone opening the door to the room. All three members of Team Rocket watched the door open and the person on the other side come through. They could sense that he was just as confused about why they were here as they were.  
  
"What in the world are you three doing in my office?!" an angry Giovanni asked.  
  
"Uh-oh," Team Rocket said in unison. "Looks like Team Rocket's in trouble again."  
  
The End 


End file.
